


A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 10:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4345616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An excerpt from Hogwarts: A History, written for the 2015 Lost Library Exchange</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [primeideal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/primeideal/gifts).



_ The book has been unceremoniously tossed on top of a low bookshelf and forgotten. You gently run your hand over the warm leather binding and the embossed gold of the Hogwarts logo glints in the lights of the shop. You pick the book up. _

 

* * *

 

**Hogwarts: A History**

**Foreword**  
_Bathilda Bagshot_

While undertaking the writing and research of "A History of Magic" (1947, Little Red Books), I constantly came across little bits of information about Hogwarts. Hogwarts--as the premier wizarding education institution in our country--appears everywhere in the history of British magic and quite often in international wizarding history as well. I was reluctant to include much of the information I encountered in "A History of Magic" because while many events seemed to be centred on Hogwarts, I had a hard time distinguishing between the truly significant anecdotes and the parts I was charmed by due to my own personal connections to the school. Upon consultation with my editor, I slowly began compiling a separate trunk of notes, separating the history of our school from the history of our world.

In truth, a survey of Hogwarts is something I had intended to write for some time. The roots of this book can be traced back to my own time as Hogwarts (an unspeakably long time ago), when I was a first year Ravenclaw eager to unravel the secrets of these hallowed halls. Not that I got far--the secrets of Hogwarts are far too great for just a single student to discover.

 

**The School of Hogwarts**

 

The origins of the school are shrouded in great obscurity, perhaps intentionally so. Historians have attempted to trace the roots of the school back to wizarding antiquity--in many cases, perhaps favouring the honourable association to ancient centres of learning over more historically accurate theories. Geoffrey Sakndenberg, in his fanciful chronicles of early wizarding education wrote: "The historie of the School of Hogwarts seemeth to referre its beginning to certaine Greeke philosophers who came into this isle with Brute". To this his contemporary Chroniculus Paterculus adds that the Greeks came with the aim "to disseminate learning among the rude Albions". Such thoughts, however, are flights of fancy and not suited as a proper subject of history.

What would later be termed the Hogwarts pensive pre-dates the creation of the school by about half a century and serves as the primary source for the era. Within the pensive are records of places of wizarding education among the ancient Britons, though little is known of Scottish magical learning during the period. No written records exist from our kind, so the inquiring historian is forced to rely on muggle records. The downfall of the Roman empire (I should hardly need to remind the reader that this was the last truly great integrated magical-muggle society) cast a dark shadow in which ignorance and barbarism festered and written wizarding history was all but lost.

The tenth century brought new innovation to a stagnant wizarding world, especially with the invention of broomstick-based transportation. While this had ramifications across magical society (the interested reader should consult the relevant chapters in "A History of Magic" if they wish to read more about the international effects), the localized result was that the difficult distances and terrain were travelled with a frequency that they had not seen since the Roman era. As other scholarship has shown, this increased movement lead directly to the founding of the early Wizengamot, named and modelled after the muggle Witenagemot. The functions of the Wizengamot (as it existed with an absence of a wizarding government to fulfil its recommendations) are largely unknown, but one of their early directives was a wish to form a school for the instruction of youth. It is unlikely that they remained directly involved with the young school, however, as they became embroiled with the case of Finella of Angus shortly after its founding.

This ease of travelling was also beneficial to the Hogwarts Founders and allowed them to meet like-minded witches and wizards even though they came from vastly different regions. Despite their prominent status among the list of great witches and wizards, little is known about their history before the creation of Hogwarts - save what they have chosen to tell us. As these are biased accounts at best, I have chosen not to examine them here: please see instead the chapters dedicated to the accounts of each founder, where their specific prejudices may be discussed with proper academic rigour.

Little is known about what the grounds of Hogwarts contained before the school was built. Environmental historians have confirmed, though use of age revealling spells on trees, that the Forbidden Forest predates the existance of the castle. Indeed, the entire grounds may have once been covered with forest (as has been suggested by esteemed herbologist Phyllida Spore) as the tree age and forest density are largely unchanged between the borders of the forest and its heart. The lake, too, pre-dates the construction of the school. While the centaur herds (whose culture and learning remained unburdened by the collapse of Rome) have records of their existence in the area well before Hogwarts, the history of the other creatures are less certain. Even today, little is known about the giant squid, as there are no other known creatures of its kind left in existence. Its possible lifespan is unknown, though its size and apparent intelligence suggest that it may be quite old. No record of mermaid sightings in the British Isles exist before the 11th century (or of the ceasg, a creature related to the mermaid but found only in Scotland). Additionally, early records from the school indicate that kelpies were present in the lake and mentions are made--usually in reference to warning school children of the dangers of the lake--sporadically in school literature until the 17th century. The numerous quarrels throughout history between kelpies and mermaids suggest that it was not until after the absence of kelpies in the lake that mermaids were introduced, consistent with what is known of Hogwarts' active policy of determining which creatures are permitted within its bounds. Exactly why the founders chose that intersection of forest and lake to build their school remains a mystery, but one conjectures that it was likely related to the presence of rare magical animals in a location hard to reach by anything besides a broom.

While it is known that construction started on the castle in 993AD (the same year it was officially founded), it remains unknown how long, exactly, the school took to built. Records also indicate that many prominent members of wizarding society were unable to attend a great feast held by Hogwarts, celebrating the arrival of new students and the completion of (what were then) the primary kitchens, as they were busy with Wizengamot duties that required them to be in Fettercairn -- suggesting that the main construction was not finished until at least after 995AD. It would be prudent for the reader to remember that Hogwarts, as first constructed, looked very different than the halls and towers we remember today. The grand architecture was added in later and slowly, with the vaulted ceilings and ornate decorations starting in the 11th century and the addition of the iconic towers starting in the 12th century. Archaeological surveying spells have indicated that the hill upon which Hogwarts castle sits was created by magic, though no other defensive walls or ditches exist from that time period, suggested that the motte was deemed sufficient to defend against attackers. The castle, at the time, was largely built from timber under the directive of Rowena Ravenclaw and though stone construction would soon dominate the castle, the original wood walls remain. Given the proximity to the Forbidden Forest it was a likely source of wood for the project and some theorists have suggested that this wood, combined with the magical energies of so many children throughout the ages, have combined to form a magic at the core of Hogwarts. No records, from any era, provide a blueprint for the castle, though some writings do indicate that this was an intentional wish for no single person to know all the secrets and to discourage students and servants from sneaking into forbidden areas.

From school records, we know that during those early years the four founders were the only teachers at Hogwarts, though other caretaking staff and servants existed. While united in the common belief of the benefits of public education, they differed on the details and, in some ways, Hogwarts was four schools operating in the same location. The house system, as it existed then, was an indication of which founder served as a student's primary tutor. House selection was based on affinity to a founder, in order to maximise learning, but was in practice often done based on parental requests. The sorting ceremony was devised at a later point, presumably after the departure of Salazar Slytherin.

 

* * *

 

 

_Having read more than is polite to in the middle of an aisle in a crowded bookstore, you begin to put a book down. You stop as a small note begins to appear, apparently taped to the front of the book._

> To the reader of "Hogwarts: A History"
> 
> 'Hogwarts: A History' was an essential book for me, when I was a student. While the 'Standard Book of Spells' series was the most common reference for most students during their studies, the events during my school years and their peculiar focus on Hogwarts made Ms. Bagshot's book a necessity, full of useful information about the ancient school we inhabited. Now that my own children are off on their own Hogwarts adventures, it seems fitting to begin the process of editing a new edition. Thanks to the cooperation of Hogwarts stuff, especially Mme Pince, we have been able to magically duplicate the original manuscript contained in the Hogwarts libraries. To our great surprise, this original contains some elements that an editor, at some point in history, had cut for reasons known only to them. I am of the belief that more knowledge never hurt, so this planned new edition will feature the full, original text. In addition, I have been working with Harry Potter, Professor McGonagall, and more to include our own thoughts on items we felt were overlooked, either intentionally or due to lack of knowledge on Ms. Bagshot's part. As we began to do this, we realised there was so much we were unaware of and now seek to open the project to the public. So, I ask that you to write to us with your stories--however mundane or fantastical--of this place that we call home.
> 
> \- Herminone Granger

**Author's Note:**

> Some bits stolen shamelessly from A History of the University of Oxford. Its Colleges, Halls, and Public Buildings by R. Ackermann.


End file.
